Girl, 15, Testifies At Naval Hearing About Sailor Accused In Sex Case

May 29, 1998|By Steven J. Stark, Tribune Staff Writer.

A married sailor accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl in his home at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center faced his accuser in a courtroom setting for the first time Thursday, but it could take a month for the Navy to decide whether charges should be brought against him.

The occasion was a probable-cause hearing to determine whether the sailor should stand trial. Lt. Cmdr. Michael Bandy was the one-man grand jury presiding as the girl answered questions from two Navy prosecutors and the sailor's civilian and Navy defense attorneys.

Poised but apparently somewhat uncomfortable, the girl, now 15, testified for about two hours. She said she met the accused sailor, a petty officer and member of the Great Lakes Police Department, in 1996 and eventually became friends with him.

One night, the sailor stopped her and some friends, she said, who were out past curfew. She and the sailor had a verbal altercation that night, she said. The girl said she told only her mother about that incident; she and the sailor later exchanged apologies.

Subsequently, the girl said, the sailor would stop by her home when her parents were gone and take her for rides while on and off duty. They would talk and kiss in the vehicle, she said.

One afternoon last June, the girl testified, the sailor drove her to his home. They had sex, and his wife walked in and caught them in the act, she said.

"This is not an event I really wanted to remember," the girl told defense attorney Sean Sullivan. "I tried hard to forget about it. People constantly talked about it, people (he) talked to about it. That's when I decided I had to testify against him."

The girl, who was living with her mother and stepfather at the time, has moved off base.

The girl denied Sullivan's suggestion that revenge was her reason for accusing the sailor.

Bandy said he would file his report by Friday afternoon with the base commander, Rear Adm. Kevin Green, who decides what happens next.

Under the military code, the sailor could face a range of charges: one count of carnal knowledge, one count adultery, one count indecent acts or liberties with a child.

There are four options: A general court-martial, the most severe, could result in the sailor's being kicked out of the Navy; a special court-martial could see the sailor sent to the brig for six months or forfeit some pay; a non-judicial punishment--a fine or reduction in rank--reserved for less serious offenses; or the case can be dismissed.

This case is separate from one that surfaced in early May involving four instructors at Great Lakes. The instructors are accused of having improper sexual relationships and friendships with female recruits. A team of four investigators from the Navy's inspector general's office recently visited Great Lakes to look into the allegations and will issue a report on its findings when the investigation is complete.